In late October we will be driving down from Scotland along the line of the Pennine Chain using A and B roads. Looking for a place to stop that is picturesque and had a good café for an afternoon short break cake and a cuppa. So looking at:

Jervaulx Abbey - Ellinstring, or

Fountains Abbey - Ripon.

Not interested in their interiors (apart from the café - nice n clean) just which has the best landscape scenery, parking (free - safe) and of course the best tea and cakes.

Reviews anyone.
Thanks

The golden arch do very nice muffins and coffee!! Located up and down the country, some more clean than others

Fountains is a National trust property so unless you are a member you will have to pay for parking etc and the tea-rooms do not have much of a view,
The tea rooms at rievaux terraces are also National trust but have nicer views.

Check the opening times for both on the National Trust website before committing to either,

Alternatively just head over east towards York and you'll find a friendly place called CG's.

Specialising in chickens, scones and caravan shooting.

Not sure about the picturesque views but you can have a look at a new blingy RRS  2002 Honda VFR800
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Bolton Abbey has paid parking, a really nice cafe with a terrace and walks along the River Wharfe, through the ruins etc, and you can visit the Priory Church, google their web site..... JT Upgraded to an ex demo, 7 mth old, Rimini Red/Ebony Napoli Auto HSE on 28th Jan 2011, added roof rails, mudflaps and side strips.
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Probably a little too south for you and you may well be familiar with it, the village of Ilam, there's the picturesque Ilam Hall with cafe and in the village itself some lovely alpine cottages. In the 'White Peak' near the Manifold valley, it's a very pleasant place to be on a nice day.

Not sure how it would look in Octobers 'proper' weather though

Fountains abbey is quite local to me , a nice tea room with hot meals available too. Or go to the deer park/studley lake there, lovely park land and a big lake full of ducks and another tea shop. I've been going there since I was tiny and now take the young un.

Deer park free entry, fountains free to teas shop, not cheap to enter the abbey but defiantly worth a look At work
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Gentlemen
Many thanks for all your comments. So I've got three promising locations to research in depth - I'm sure one will be just right.

EYorkshire - thanks for the proposal of Ilam Hall - happy memories of camping out there when I was a Cub Scout at 7yrs during the 50's. Derbyshire is my homeland and that county is where we are heading to on our journey south from Scotland. Took my daughter and her mum home, and, to the Hall and many other delightful local spots for the first time a few years ago starting when she was 2yrs young to educate her (and her mum) about the history of my county of birth. The process is a yearly one. However the best thing about going home is the opportunity to drink some quarts of decent beer.

Make sure you have a Scottish passport, the English will let anyone in but the Scots are a bit more picky  ______________________
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Hi Richard

If your heading over Ripon way you could try this place near Bedale
Thorp Perrow Arboretum, nice large site with plenty to look at

Last edited by toeknee on 3rd Oct 2011 9:14 pm. Edited 1 time in total

try here, strange place but fun

http://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/whatdidyousee.html
http://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/ourHistory.html At work
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Dave wrote:

Make sure you have a Scottish passport, the English will let anyone in but the Scots are a bit more picky

Well my daughter and her mum will get in on their "Swiss" passports - but for 10yrs now I steadfastly refused mine much to her Ladyship's annoyance. And my daughter will proudly carry her British Passport as well - she loves to annoy her mum who does not have one

toeknee wrote:

Hi Richard

If your heading over Ripon way you could try this place near Bedale
Thorp Perrow Arboretum, nice large site with plenty to look at

chicken george wrote:

try here, strange place but fun

http://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/whatdidyousee.html
http://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/ourHistory.html

CG - daughter would never leave such a place, which means that I'd not get to the pub in Derbyshire that night, and that's not on